Finnwatch Researcher Andy Hall To Face Public Prosecutor on 18th June 2014 After Police Station Questioning Today

British migrant rights activist Andy Hall, who campaigns to improve conditions for migrant workers in Thailand, today met investigators at Bangna Police Station in Bangkok.

Natural Fruit Company Ltd., a company based in Prachuap Khiri Khan Province of Thailand, began a series of civil and criminal prosecutions against Andy Hall in February 2013. Charges relate to his role in conducting interviews with migrants from Myanmar to assist Finnwatch to compile a report, Cheap Has a High Price. This report, released in Jan 2013 and updated in Jan 2014, outlined poor labour conditions in Natural Fruit’s factory, selling pineapple concentrate to Finnish supermarkets.

Finnwatch researcher Andy Hall today voluntarily met with police investigators. Police were investigating Natural Fruit’s third criminal charge against Andy Hall, criminal defamation, relating to an interview he gave in Myanmar to Aljazeera in early 2013.

– His fingerprints were taken and he was questioned for almost four hours. Andy Hall reported that the police treated him fairly and transparently. He was provided free of charge a proper translator, certified by Thailand’s Ministry of Justice, and was able to leave after the hearing was over, said Finnwatch Executive Director Sonja Vartiala.

Last time Andy Hall visited Bangna Police Station on 28th September 2013, an officer attempted to get Hall to sign a Thai language confession accepting guilt to all accusations laid against him and translation offered was poor. Hall refused to sign the document, requested a copy and left the station.

During today’s appearance at the police station, concerning information was provided to Andy Hall that the lawyer for Natural Fruit recently contacted to the independent translator assigned to assist Hall by the Ministry of Justice.

Finnwatch sees all legal actions against Andy Hall as an attack against a human rights defender and his freedom of expression.

Legal action against Andy Hall has raised international criticism and several NGOs and global trade union federations have condemned these legal actions. UN Special Rapporteurs have asked Thailand to clarify how it ensures judicial processes in the country do not result in attempts to harass human rights defender’s work.

– Andy Hall has told us that he will voluntary take part to all judicial hearings. He has done nothing wrong and hopes that this legal process will shed only further light on systematic labour rights abuses in Thai exporting industries, says Vartiala.

Andy Hall is now scheduled to meet Thailand’s public prosecutor on 18th June 2014 when he will know whether the case against him will go to court or be dropped.

Together Natural Fruit has raised four charges personally against Andy Hall. Two criminal charges relate to defamation and breach of the computer crimes act and are pending summons delivery in the criminal court. A third charge relates to civil defamation. The case discussed today in Bangna Police station was the latest and fourth charge against him, also of criminal defamation.

If found guilty of criminal charges laid against him, Andy Hall could face together seven years in prison per count. Natural Fruit are also claiming seven million euros in damages from Andy Hall in the civil case against him.

Serious problems in Natural Fruit’s labour conditions have been highlighted in several other reports and research as well as the Finnwatch report, to which Andy Hall assisted. According to Finnwatch’s information, Thai authorities have not raised any legal actions against Natural Fruit.

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Bangkok South Criminal Court Conviction Appeals Ruling

Appeal Verdict to be IssuedMay 31st, 2018

Bangkok South Criminal Court will read the adjourned ruling of the Appeals Court on the appeal of Andy Hall and Natural Fruit against Andy Hall’s conviction and sentencing in a criminal defamation and computer crimes case filed against Hall by Natural Fruit Company Ltd. executives in response to the publication of the Finnwatch report in 2013. An arrest warrant has been issued for Hall to attend the verdict after he failed to attend the Court on the previous appointed verdict date on 24th April 2018

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Andy Hall has set up a YouCaring crowdfunding site to receive donations to fund his professional team of lawyers (and support other related case costs) to defend himself in the ongoing and unrelenting judicial harassment being waged against him by just a few irrational and vindictive companies in Thailand. See https://www.youcaring.com/andyhall-1151843 and you can donate there.